Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Athens for the Supreme Council of Cooperation and meetings with the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Erdogan, who landed around 10:20 on Thursday morning at “Eleftherios Venizelos” Airport, was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerapetritis, as previously announced.
The plane carrying the Turkish delegation, including several Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and high-ranking officials landed ahead of its schedule.
At 11:30, Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have a meeting at the presidential palace with Katerina Sakellaropoulou, before meeting with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion at 12:15.
The meeting is expected to last about 45 minutes, in the presence of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic advisers, followed by statements to the media at 13:00.
Stringent security measures are in place in Athens for the visit of the Turkish president. The center of Athens is virtually on lockdown, with the Syntagma Metro station closed, and gatherings have been prohibited.
According to reports, three floors of the foreign ministry alone have been allocated for the ministry-to-ministry talks.
Sources that spoke to “Ta Nea” this week identified the eight fields of budding collaboration as:
-Economic and commercial cooperation, including at the institutional level, such as between Enterprise Greece and Invest in Turkey.
-Education, in the form of an exchange of know-how in vocational education and a framework for consultations and joint projects between universities and research institutions.
-Research and technology, by encouraging the cooperation between Greek and Turkish start-ups.
Ahead of his visit to Greece, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken a conciliatory tone – while underscoring that disagreements will persist.
Turkish Anadolu Agency reports that the atmosphere is expected to be amiable in the talks and that “the agenda of the discussions will also include regional and international developments,” adding that “various agreements are expected to be signed.”
